Olivine City had lost all of its police force, and this undoubtedly cast a shadow over everyone present.
Many even broke down in tears or started shouting hysterically, cursing out loud!
Yet… after the outburst came a long silence.
At this moment, Myron stepped forward.
As a renowned figure from a previous "era", even if not everyone present knew his full legacy, they had at least heard of his former glory.
"My son, the current Gym Leader of Olivine Gym, Tetsuya… is dead!" Myron opened with the death of his own son, instantly silencing everyone with shock.
"Although his strength was average and he tended to avoid trouble… my son, Tetsuya, still chose to stand up and fight Team Rocket in the end!
Because he managed to delay them, our Olivine Gym didn't end up like the police station…" Myron didn't finish, but everyone understood what he meant.
"But I feel no joy in that, because none of us here know when Team Rocket might strike again…"
"THEN LET'S JUST LEAVE OLIVINE CITY NOW!" a voice suddenly called out from the crowd, interrupting Myron's speech.
Myron looked around but didn't bother identifying who had spoken. Instead, he continued in a low voice, "…If anyone wants to leave, I won't stop you. But allow me to remind you of three things:
First, what if Team Rocket has set up ambushes outside Olivine City, do you really think it's safe to leave now?
Second, the entire Johto Region is already engulfed in war. As far as I know, there isn't a single city that hasn't been attacked.
Third, many of your Pokémon have been stolen… Are you really so afraid that you won't even try to rescue your own partners?"
This soul-shaking question left everyone stunned. Even those who wanted to object couldn't find the courage to challenge Myron after seeing his fierce expression.
"Like I said, if you want to leave, go now. If you're staying, then join our reinforcements. FIGHT BACK AGAINST TEAM ROCKET AND TAKE BACK YOUR PARTNERS!"
Myron said no more and turned to approach Nurse Joy, who had just regained consciousness. His Pokémon were in urgent need of healing. At his peak, Myron had at least been an Ace level Trainer.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of Trainers, after hearing Myron's speech, walked straight to the transfer machine without hesitation.
They were transferring their backup Pokémon; clearly preparing to join the battle and recover their partners.
Quite a few Trainers who had been hypnotized at the Pokémon Center had lost their Poké Balls to Team Rocket, but after the transfer, even if not at full power, they still had the strength to fight.
Even Trainers without spare Pokémon approached Joseph and Myron to ask if there was anything else they could do to help.
With Myron in command and Nurse Joy handling support and logistics, Sato and Joseph no longer needed to manage non-combat affairs.
Their mission now was to locate Team Rocket's hideouts and prevent any further surprise attacks.
Soon, including Sato and Joseph, a group of Trainers whose strength was at least High Elite were selected by Myron specifically for recon duties.
Sato and Joseph were assigned to gather intel from the eastern and western sectors of Olivine City, while the rest were given separate areas to cover.
Equipped with spare walkie-talkies and city maps from the Pokémon Center, none of them wasted time, they immediately departed for their assigned zones.
With no sign of the Elite Four who were supposed to have come as reinforcements, the strongest remaining Trainer -Sato- was naturally assigned the most critical task.
The eastern part of Olivine City was filled with forest and had flat terrain, making it the most likely hiding spot for Team Rocket.
After reaching the city's border, Sato didn't stop. Instead, he had Gengar cloak him and slipped directly into the dense forest.
The tracking techniques he had learned in his past life had become second nature. He wasn't about to sit and wait passively.
What Sato wanted more… was to strike first!
Footprints, scents, bloodstains, even a snapped branch. Any of these could offer valuable information to Sato.
And sure enough, it didn't take long before he found something.
Perhaps emboldened by their success in the initial surprise attack, Team Rocket had gotten careless. In a bush, Sato found two empty Potion bottles with no labels.
Sato knew very well that unlabeled Potions were better suited for underground market circulation. And finding something like this meant Team Rocket couldn't be far.
----
Meanwhile, Joseph had arrived on the western side of Olivine City. He wasn't staying obediently at the border either; instead, he headed straight into the forest.
The forest was Joseph's home turf!
Under Gallade's close protection, Joseph didn't even bother hiding. He simply closed his eyes and began communicating with the forest through his Viridian Power.
His efficiency -at least in the forest- far surpassed Sato's. Before long, Joseph opened his eyes, patted Gallade beside him, and pointed in a direction.
In the next second, both Joseph and Gallade vanished from where they stood.
After several consecutive Teleports, Joseph was already very close to the location revealed by the forest.
To avoid alerting the enemy, Joseph and Gallade began to approach slowly on foot.
Gallade used its Psychic powers to scan the surroundings cautiously, guarding against any ambushes.
After the two of them circled around a thicket, a seemingly ordinary pond appeared before them.
And beside the pond, an old man with graying hair was sitting quietly, holding a fishing rod… leisurely fishing?
Joseph mentally counted the number of Teleports Gallade had used and realized they had already gone deep into the forest.
He never expected to find an old man fishing all alone in such a place…
Anything that seemed out of place was likely trouble!
Joseph crouched lower, but suddenly heard the old man speak: "Since you're already here, why not fish with me a while?"
Joseph's heart dropped, but he still didn't make a move.
Until the old man slowly turned his gaze toward the bush where he was hiding.
And the moment Joseph saw the man's face clearly, he knew there was no room for doubt, because… this was a member of the Elite Four.
Having lived in Johto for so long, Joseph naturally recognized the current members of the Johto Elite Four. And this gray-haired man before him was the oldest of them all.
The "Bastion of the Earth", the Ground-type Elite Four member: Shaka!
Sha-sha-sha~
The grass rustled. Joseph gestured to Gallade to remain calm, then slowly stood up and walked step by step toward Shaka.
"Elite Four Shaka… why are you here?"
Shaka smiled kindly. With his reading glasses, he looked more like a librarian than a warrior.
He gently patted the grass beside him, gesturing for Joseph to sit down too.
At this point, even though Joseph had a bad feeling, he obediently sat beside Shaka.
Shaka didn't answer Joseph's question. Instead, he reeled in his line, changed the bait, and cast it out again in a leisurely motion.
"Olivine City… how is it now?"
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150 PS - Chap